Top 10 facts about pandas

MARCH 16 is celebrated by many as International Panda Day, though this is apparently not sanctioned by any international organisation. But no excuse is needed to celebrate pandas so here are some facts.

Pandas are one of the world’s most beloved bears, an animal that is not only adorable to many, but also a cultural icon, an economic mainstay and a source of national pride in China

Ye Ye, a 16-year-old giant panda, lounges in a wild enclosure at a conservation center in Wolong Nature Reserve. Her name, whose characters represent Japan and China, celebrates the friendship between the two nations

7. Female pandas are fertile for only two or three days a year.

8. Pandas in zoos have twins significantly more often than pandas in the wild.